kwarnimont's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Suicide, Religious bigotry, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Rape, Kidnapping, Violence, Drug use, Drug abuse, Toxic relationship, Torture, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual assault, and Confinement
Moderate: Classism
lvluplevi's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Sexual content, Suicide, Rape, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, Adult/minor relationship, Pedophilia, Torture, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Incest
Minor: Death of parent, Confinement, Death, Child abuse, Alcohol, and Drug use
bookswithmybulldog's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Rape, Kidnapping, Confinement, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, and Homophobia
lina_reads's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Graphic: Confinement, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Kidnapping, Physical abuse, Rape, and Sexual assault
uhhlexiconic's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Rape, Gaslighting, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Physical abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Kidnapping, Incest, and Grief
It seems strange that a book so preoccupied with Me Too often villainizes the female characters. At one point, our narrator points out the inherent misogyny in a queer film he just watched; the question seems like one that could be levied against the author as well.averyarnold's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
With a title like Yes, Daddy you’d probably expect a steamy, smut filled, gay book. However, only one of those adjectives apply to this book.
I’m having a hard time deciding if I liked it and what to rate it.
Spoiler
Parts of the book were quick, and suspenseful, and sucked you in. But other parts were the exact opposite. It felt like I was both reading a work of fiction about the world of wealth, class, and the darkness that lies (literally) beneath those things. But also at the same time reading the journal of the author as he worked out his past and his trauma. It felt like two books in one, and only one of those were a book I should have been reading.
The scenes at the Hamptons, which was maybe 1/3 of the book?, had a nice steady descent into darkness and misery. It felt well paced, even if it was deeply uncomfortable to read, which was obviously the point. However, the way in which the MC was able to escape felt very unlikely. Not that really anything up to that point felt super realistic, but if these men were going to such lengths to keep these boys on the property….one of them would have at least followed the two to the hospital.
It was the last half of the book that…is where I’m struggling to nail down my feelings. The last half, or maybe 1/3rd of the book was dedicated to Jonah’s healing and overcoming his trauma. Which is good and necessary, obviously. And from the POV of the writer, I understand that it’s important to bring the reader back down to a somewhat neutral level after slowing building up the tension and discomfort. Plot structure and all of that, I get it.
But my problems are really with two things:
1- We took a very hard left into religion. Which I understand, as someone who grew up southern baptist, I understand the trauma of being gay in that scenario and the going back to God when times get really bad. I truly understand. And especially someone with the trauma inflicted on him by Christianity, I understand the longing to reconcile that and how, sometimes, reworking your relationship with all aspects of Christianity can help. However, I guess it was just because the book is called Yes, Daddy that I wasn’t expecting such a hard shift into religion. And then, well, the r*pe scene that ended Jonah’s new found religious healing felt very unnecessary, and then negated the entire chapter or two. The book could have been just fine without it, especially because when he starts mending his relationship with his father at the end, he also starts mending his relationship with Christianity and it could have been saved for that. But also, that moment with Matt (I think was his name) is never brought up again, at least to my memory. So it just felt like a “aha! See, Christians are bad and don’t want to help you!” sort of a thing that the author wanted to put in there.
And 2- It didn’t feel like I was reading a book. It felt, quite literally, that I was reading the inner workings of a journalists perspective of the role that social media played during the #MeToo movement. The writing just felt very different, at least to me, during the chapters involving Jonah’s new Twitter infamy. Knowing that the author was/is still a journalist/writer for media networks really added to the sense that he just needed to vent and decided to use the book as a way to do that and just forgot to make it fit into the story. Not that I think anything said during those chapters and moments wasn’t important and didn’t need to be said, the opposite, really. But it just didn’t feel like it connected to the book.
And I guess, maybe I have a third thing: I wished that the other boys that were there with Jonah were given as big of roles in the ending as Mace was. Because, those boys experienced worse pains then either Jonah or Mace (Not that trauma is a game…but they, ya know, didn’t escape and didn’t have the freedom to come and go.) I don’t remember if we were ever told how/when they got out. Nor, did the plot ever really seem to care about them after they did. The story also never seemed to care about finding out what happened to Evan. And, I get it, Jonah is working through a lot of trauma, he probably wouldn’t. I understand, but a lot of the story just -happened- to him so, it could have just been a passing headline that a body of a young man was found on the compound, or something. I wanted more closure with those boys then the author wanted to give. I understand why Mace was singled out, because of what happened at the trial and everything, so I understood that. But I just wanted Jonah to, somehow, find the emails of the other boys and reach out to them. I wanted the story to show them the same kindness and compassion Jonah and Mace were given. I know, I know: The World doesn’t always work that way. Sometimes one person is given more compassion then someone else. I know. But this is fiction. The world can be anything you want it to be. And I just wanted it to be kinder to the boys who had to endure the Hampton’s for months, and didn’t have the freedom that Mace had to come and go, or the opportunity to escape that Jonah had. I wanted them to, at least, be sent on their way somewhat happy and mended. They are in my head, so, that’s nice.
((I’m also not going to sit here and say that a lot of the ending didn’t give me major ending of Gerald’s Game vibes because…it did. Now that’s a story about sexual trauma and healing that really is 10/10 Grade A Eggland’s Best.)
And yes, some people do have a problem with the way the entire book does feel like a letter, but I didn’t mind it. In fact, I actually thought it worked well during the scenes at the Hampton’s because it added a nice level to the trauma we were reading, knowing that it was only temporary.
I know I said that the book felt very much like the author was using it to work out his feelings on certain subjects. Which is very much what I’m doing.
And while, at the end, I think we understood what the authors feelings were about certain things….this author is still very much undecided about his feelings.
Did I enjoy it? Yes.
Did it make me feel the things it wanted me to feel when it wanted me to feel them? Yes.
Did I like the characters I was supposed to like? Yes.
Did I hate the characters I was supposed to hate? Yes.
Did I like the book?
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Homophobia, Adult/minor relationship, Religious bigotry, Torture, Toxic relationship, Body shaming, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Kidnapping, Grief, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Bullying, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, and Abandonment
thedanielhurst's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
After a chilling prologue, Yes, Daddy takes the reader on a brooding and often brutal thrill ride. The clever narrative device and the heaviness of the language draw the reader into this world of desperation, sexual tension, and power plays. The first half of the book breezes by in a whirl of eerie events, odd characters, unabashed gayness, sexuality, and brutality, at times verging on camp.
The second half is more of a surprise. Several years later, Jonah has a more personal reckoning with what happened to him in the first half of the book, the others involved, and the childhood traumas that led him into such a dire situation. Mostly absent of thrills, the rest of the book moves more slowly and delves into societal critique around social media, mental health, religion, sexuality, and rape culture, particularly in regards to the gay community. Expect a more human story tinged with both despair and hope.
Non-exhaustive list of content warnings: rape, physical violence, underage drinking, sexual assault, kidnapping, infidelity, drug use, cruelty to animals, suicide, suicidal ideation, religious fanaticism
Graphic: Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Fire/Fire injury, Kidnapping, Rape, Sexual content, Torture, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Drug use, Blood, Confinement, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Suicide attempt, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, Suicide, Death, Violence, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, and Cursing
perfect_leaves's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Graphic: Rape, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Kidnapping, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Confinement, Cursing, Torture, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Blood, Grief, Sexism, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Vomit, and Murder
Minor: Body shaming and Fatphobia
bookishlybrief's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
The first half of the book were compelling and hard to read. It flails in the second half where the protagonist is reckoning with trauma and how to deal with it. The end was disappointing for sure given the promise of the front half.
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Torture, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Slavery, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Self harm, Religious bigotry, Physical abuse, Pedophilia, Mental illness, Kidnapping, Grief, Fatphobia, Emotional abuse, Drug use, and Domestic abuse
stayathomereader's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Confinement, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Kidnapping, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Self harm, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Trafficking, and Violence
Moderate: Blood, Vomit, and Animal death